The Trump administration is offering undocumented immigrants who voluntarily leave the country $1,000 each. The Department of Homeland Security asserts that this offer is significantly more cost-effective compared to the expenses incurred in apprehending and deporting these individuals through the use of ICE agents.
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Immigrants who opt for Trump’s offer can evade arrest by federal immigration agents.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will cover the cost of commercial flights out of the United States and then transfer the funds once the immigrants have departed.
The DHS asserts that this program will result in a significant savings of 70% compared to the expenses incurred in rounding up and deporting each illegal immigrant.
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According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the average cost for the federal government to arrest, detain, and deport a single illegal immigrant is $17,121.
Stephen Miller, President Trump’s top homeland security adviser, stated on X that the long-term costs of providing free welfare and public support to illegal alien families amount to savings of up to $1 million per family.
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that “self-deportation is the most effective, safest, and cost-efficient method” for illegal immigrants to evade arrest by ICE.
However, taxpayers are concerned about the potential consequences if these immigrants leave the country, obtain financial assistance, and subsequently return.
In unrelated news, President Trump has announced plans to reopen Alcatraz to detain illegal immigrants and gang members.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that the Bureau of Prisons, in collaboration with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, is directing the reopening of a significantly expanded and rebuilt Alcatraz. This new facility will serve as a prison for America’s most notorious and violent offenders.
Alcatraz, a former federal penitentiary located on Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco, closed its doors in 1963 due to the high operating costs, which amounted to approximately $10 per day per prisoner.
Alcatraz was famously home to mob figure Al Capone, who became one of the most infamous inmates in the prison’s history.
